HI.Sorry for the lack of answer to your query Dr James. I haven’t been on the internet for awhile as I have been off work to help me relax and rest for the last stretch of the treatment. I use Daivobet for my psoriasis which is breaking out at the moment.
I am now almost 9 weeks down and its been pretty hard so far but I’m soldiering on. I have been losing weight at a steady pace and have lost almost 10kgs according to my GP over the last few months which I have not even noticed. My belts are peppered with new holes and Ive dropped from a 38 to a 30 in waist and have had to buy new pants as I’m starting to look like a tramp according to my elderly mother! lol
The cognitive changes and depression have been intense so far, esp the depression and I’m probably going to sign myself off work till the end of the treatment mid Jan. My Dr asked me if I wanted to stop the treatment but it’s my last stab at it so I politely advised him Ill power through. He has offered to sign me on a temporary sickness benefit and rest asap but the drop in money will drive me into a hole esp over Xmas. I’m also unsure because being alone at home for almost two months will make the depression so much worse so I need to keep something going where my colleagues can keep an eye on me.
Wow its been a ride so far and Ill get bloods done on Monday and see my specialist at the end of the month so Ill upload the results and update you all then.
Its like being on the back of a Rodeo Bull who is sitting in the first car on the worlds most intense roller coaster with your hands tied behind your back! Win or lose I will not forget this in a hurry!

g

Hi Dr James.1 week and Ill be at the end of month 2. Attached are the results of a blood test I did a week or so ago. I would appreciate any feedback or comments on the results. I dont have a scanner so these are digital photos. If you cant read them, let me know and ill find someone with a scanner.

Regards

g

An update.
Almost through month number 1 and the nausea and headaches have stopped which is great!
The one side effect that I found difficult when I did my first treatment with Viekira Pak was the slow build up of depression by the last month. I have suffered from depression since my teens and know how it feels inside and out, but that depression on Viekira was a different, dark experience that took some time to fade after I completed treatment.
I just wanted to know whether depression is a possible side effect of what I am taking at the moment as I think I can feel hints of something starting to move in that have a faint sniff of before. I’m just trying to head things off at the pass as I have 3 more months ahead of me and I will have to be prepared in order to push through if its a possibility that I’m about to be hit like last time.
My specialist has ordered bloods for the end of each month of the treatment so I will post those up if you would like me to when I receive them?
g

Thanks for the positives! I’m day 5 in to the treatment and following the doctors instructions to the letter. Insomnia is still an issue for me but that’s also because of the quetiapine no longer being used. I guess I’ll get used to that and hopefully it’ll improve as time goes on. I’m a natural pessimist and that’s hard to shake as because I work very closely with people in suicide prevention I guess its also a kind of emotional “insurance” that I’ve naturally developed in response to losing people from time to time.Also, my support network is small and mainly consists of a dog and cat but this forum is a major element for me now as I don’t do social networking at all. I guess this is my “facebook”!
Thanks for all the support and for the chance to try again. Also, please tell me if there are things I should be doing on the forum that I’m ignorant of as the whole internet thing is something I haven’t really embraced.
g

Hi Dr James.

That is music to tired ears! Thank you so much for this opportunity to slay the beast in my body. It means so much to me to be able to have another chance to rid myself of Hep C.
I have the email you mentioned but I didn’t know if it was appropriate for me to use it. I have a few questions for you regarding treatment, support and general advice which I will direct to your email address asap.
I just want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone on here that has patiently answered my questions, reassured me and just taken the time out of their days to reply to me. You are all amazing people that deserve the very best that life can give you. When wrote my first entry I was resigned to a short, dark future full of increasingly unpleasant symptoms and was seriously questioning whether I wanted to endure it or simply opt out of it altogether. I now have a little hope in my life thanks to the folk on this site
I have no money and my pride will not allow me to even ask others (who don’t have any money either) to contribute to a situation I inflicted upon myself. That HUGE hurdle has been eliminated and I feel humbled.

The system wouldn’t fund me but Ive learned in life and from the wise advice of my late Father and the unshakeable hope and support from my elderly Mother there is no point in anger, frustration or blame. Ive learned that if I own a situation created by myself I get to piece of mind quicker and acceptance appears shortly after.

Everyday at my job, I meet people who have survived brutal suicide attempts, individuals that have been “pulled back” from the edge and are in a hell so dark our small team have to convince them to have one last go at life with us walking beside them. We have all lost a few of these people which devastates us every time, but in a couple of years we have had hundreds that leave us after close support, good food, sleep, listening and continued support for as long as they need it. What they go through makes a my Hep C and Cirrhosis look insignificant in comparison. They inspire me every day with the bravery and determination to live

However, I know that there is a reasonable chance that the treatment process may not be effective, and being a pessimist (I call it realism) I have to have that scenario in the back of my mind just in case

I will report my progress to you all along this next journey. Wish me luck. I’m gonna need it!

Respect to you all

Barry (my name is actually Gordon or “G” for short)

g

Sorry to keep bugging you, but how do I get in touch with Dr James?
g

I am visiting my doctor tomorrow to sap out the seroquel with an alternative as you suggest. I have also just had my 6 monthly ultrasound and blood test so I am going to see what he thinks of the results. Shall I add them on to this forum when I get them scanned to see what you all make of them and add them as an update for a “state of the nation” picture for a clearer idea for the doctors before the new course of meds is started?

Thanks so much for helping me out here everyone. Your opinions, advice, friendliness and experience will mean I will have a clearer picture of whats happening inside me and also to those who have worked hard to be able offer me another chance to assault the Hep C again for free. as the cost is what would have kept me locked out

With respect and humility…

g